Tim Thomas last played on April 25 2012, a 2-1 playoff loss to the Washington Capitals. (AP)

Tim Thomas is officially back in the NHL.

The Stanley Cup-winning goalie signed a one-year contract Thursday with the Florida Panthers, a move that was expected for several days. Financial terms were not released.

The 39-year-old Thomas took last season off, then decided he was ready to return to hockey.

Thomas has played in 378 NHL games, all with Boston. He's stopped 92 percent of the shots he has faced, with a 2.48 goals-against average. He led the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup(see full story).

Rangers: Stepan re-signs Derek Stepan is back in the fold with the New York Rangers, agreeing to a two-year contract that should have him back on the ice in time for the season opener.

Negotiations had been tense in recent days as the sides worked on a deal to get the restricted free-agent forward signed and into training camp. A contract was finally worked out Thursday, one week before the Rangers start the regular season at Phoenix.

The 23-year-old Stepan, expected to be the Rangers' No. 1 center, led the team with 44 points last season and was second to Rick Nash with 18 goals while playing all 48 games of the lockout-shortened campaign (see full story).

Panthers: Team sold to NY businessmanVincent Viola grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from West Point, is a former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange and after the Sept. 11 attacks founded a center devoted to combating terrorism.

He's now the new owner of the Florida Panthers, said a person familiar with the situation.

Viola will be introduced in that role Friday after paying $250 million to buy the NHL franchise, the person said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not been made public. The Panthers scheduled a Friday news conference to discuss ownership, but confirmed no other details (see full story).